You Were Here All Along
by NikkiMouse
Summary: George ends up going to the Army and after 4 years, he goes back to Seattle. Will the one person he never got along with end up being someone so much more than that? GeorgeAlex. Eventual Slash. R&R, please!


**AN: I thought this site needed more Glex stories. :D Oh, I did away with George's accident and just shipped him off. That's the way it should've been. Poor George. =[ Oh well, the Season 5 finale was still amazing.**

**Disclaimer: I'm not Shonda Rhimes, so I don't own Grey's Anatomy. If I did, I wouldn't be here writing this.**

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George O'Malley hadn't been back to Seattle since May 15, 2009. The day before he had enlisted in the Army per the help from one of his patients and would ship out the next day for basic training. Of course, he wouldn't be able to leave comfortably without knowing that Izzie would be okay. Once he had finished his last surgery and Izzie had gotten her memory back, he had had attempted to leave SGH for the last time. He had attempted because his friends and coworkers had stopped him before he could even get out the door. This was their, 'intervention,' as they put it.

"_I have to go," He told them. _

_They wouldn't understand. He had felt useless. Ever since he failed his intern exam, he felt like he didn't have a purpose at the hospital. Sure Chief Webber had allowed him to retake his exam and passed it the second time; however, it just wasn't the same. He had screwed up so many times the last two years he had spent at SGH. Maybe he just wasn't cut out for this job. Whereas in the Army, he would be saving lives all the time, get the respect he deserves, and not get overlooked._

_However, the intervention was cut short when their pagers beeped. Several ambulances were coming into the ER with an influx of patients resulting from a 4-car pile car accident. He was relieved._

"_Don't you dare leave," Dr. Bailey raised her finger at him as the others gave him worried glances before running off together._

_As much as he loved Dr. Bailey, this was something he had to do._

That was four years ago and now here he was, back in Seattle.

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Alex, after a day of bickering patients and stupid interns who didn't know crap, walked out of Joe's bar and onto the crosswalk. He really needed that drink to relieve his pounding headache. Before he could continue, however, something caught his eye, or rather a certain someone. He had paused for a second before turning around to look at the familiar short man that had now entered the safe haven for all of Seattle Grace's employers.

"O'Malley?" He asked himself aloud as he began following the man.

As he got closer, there was no doubt that the man before him was George O'Malley. Alex had watched as he made his way into the bar. The shorter man looked confused, lost as he approached the man at the bar; he was expecting to see Joe.

"Um…" He began to speak, but was interrupted before he could.

"O'Malley." Alex called out.

George turned around upon hearing his name and gave the other man a blank stare before giving him a small smile. "Oh hey Alex."

"What're you doing here? I thought you were in Iraq?" He wasted no time in asking.

"I was. I just got back. A few days ago, actually."

This offended Alex. Why? He didn't know, but nonetheless went with it before he could think. "What the hell, man? You didn't even bother to call me?" He pressed.

"I wasn't aware I was supposed to call you," He gave Alex a weird look. They had never talked on the phone. Sure, they had each other's numbers, but they often never used it to their advantage. It was rare occasion when one called the other and when the said person did, he would state whatever the reason was for calling then hang up. At least that is what Alex did. George on the other hand, would fumble with his words until he was demanded to spit it out.

Alex rolled his eyes at his mistake. "Don't get too excited, dude. I meant, why didn't you call the house?" He smirked.

"Well, it's been awhile. I wasn't sure if anyone was still living there. With you and Izzie married, I had figured you two would get your own place. And well, Mer and Shepherd too. Then there's Lexie and Sloan. Wow, that's a lot of houses and a lot of money. Obviously Shepherd and Sloan could afford it, but-"

"Dude, stop rambling." Alex stopped George from rambling on and on. "First of all, we all still live there. And second, Izzie and I aren't married anymore."

"What?" George questioned as his eyes widened in shock. "Damnit, I should've been there for her."

"Yeah, well, I'm sure she'll tell you about it later."

George nodded in response. "I was going to go to the hospital after I left here to visit…" He trailed off, remembering why he was confused in the first place before he was interrupted. He turned around to look at the unfamiliar man behind the bar. "Where's Joe?" He didn't necessarily direct that at anyone, but since the bartender was now attending to another customer, and Alex was the only around, he answered.

"Walter had an emergency with the twins," Alex crossed his arms. "So, Joe had to leave for a bit. David here," he pointed to the young male behind the bar, "Was hired as a temporary bartender."

George turned back around, his mouth shaped as an, "O" and tilling his head back for effect. "Well, then I guess I'm going to head to the hospital."

"That not might be a good idea."

"Why not?" George asked.

"Because they're still mad at you."

_Mad at me? _George thought. That was when he remembered the day he left Seattle Grace. The day everyone tried to get him to say, but were paged for an emergency and George went behind their wishes.

"Why do you care if they're still mad at me?"

"I don't."

"Well, then I'm going to go," George replied as he got down from the barstool and headed towards the door.

"Wait!" Alex yelled as he jogged towards George. "Look, Izzie's at home and I'm sure she'll be happy to see you. So, if you want… You can come with me."

"Oh. Okay, thanks," George replied as he went with Alex.

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"I'm surprise you didn't die, O'Malley," Alex couldn't help, but tell him. "I was sure the next time we'd see you would be in a body bag."

"Seriously? You're still going on about that?"

"What?" Alex smirked. "Well, it's true. Bambi in the military. Who would have ever thought about that?"

"Ugh. Just shut up."

"_Ugh. Just shut up."_ Alex mimicked George. "Seriously, dude, you sound like a girl."

Instead of replying and inviting Alex to say more stuff, he stayed silent and glared while Alex couldn't help but chuckle.

Throughout the drive, the pair didn't talk. George leaned against the window as he watched the clouds go by.

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When they got to Meredith's house, Alex unlocked the door and went inside with George following him. It was quiet since everyone besides Izzie was at the hospital. After Izzie had gotten better and was released from the hospital, her hours were cut into half.

Throwing his keys on the table and taking off his jacket to throw on the sofa, Alex called out to Izzie.

"Hey I'm home! He yelled, "I found a stray dog," He added.

"Stray dog? Seriously Alex?"

Alex smirked. "Okay a stray person." This time he said it in a normal tone.

"What you found a dog?" Izzie asked excitedly as she made her way into the living room. "Where's the dog?" She pouted as she entered the room. Alex was blocking George, so she hadn't noticed him.

"Over here."

"Alex, stop calling me a dog." George said as he got out of hiding and into Izzie's view.

As soon as Izzie saw George, she let out a loud gasp.


End file.
